


Terra Firma AU

by sugargroupie



Category: Farscape
Genre: Alternate Reality, Canon Het Relationship, F/M, Plot What Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-07-30
Updated: 2006-01-03
Packaged: 2017-10-06 17:09:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugargroupie/pseuds/sugargroupie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He vows to be smarter in the future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Walking Underwater

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd and in the rough. Set during _Terra Firma_.

John is drawn to the pool because he's missed the smell of chlorine in the air.

Or so he tells himself, in the middle of the day when the distance is substantial enough to uphold the lie. But not now, not with her directly in his line of vision, sitting on the edge with her feet dangling in the water. John is drawn here because he can't look away, because it's something else of earth Aeryn is experiencing that he's missing out on.

He watches and hopes she won't acknowledge him -- because he _knows_ Aeryn senses his presence -- so that the denial continues and he can resist the laka for one more day.

The black sky and muted lamps around the pool seem to be working in John's favor, leaving him to lurk in shadows for a moment longer. He risks one more glance and the lie splinters when Aeryn meets his gaze. She doesn't say anything, just turns back to stare at the pool and he nearly chokes on the relief.

He could do the smart thing and haul ass out of here, pretend this whole night never happened and analyze why it shouldn't happen again. He could, and he vows to be smarter in the future, but right now he just wants to share this space with Aeryn for as long as she'll allow.

The concrete is damp, his bare feet padding gently on the ground as he closes the distance. John rolls up the legs of his jeans before sitting down next to Aeryn on the edge, flexing his toes in the cool water. One deep breath followed by another, and he still can't find the right words, if any, to say. And when Aeryn lifts one foot out the pool and turns bodily to face him, he's fascinated by the water decorating her pale skin; on her chest and arms and the ends of her hair. He wonders if she splashed herself with child-like abandon -- if she smiled when she did it, and he wishes he'd arrived sooner just to find out.

Aeryn licks her lips, fixes her mouth to say something and he stops her by laying his hand on the curve of her neck and collarbone. Her skin is wet here as well, and just as soft as he remembers. John slides over until his thigh touches her knee, leans in closer for a kiss that lingers on too long and not long enough.

When he opens his eyes Aeryn is staring at him again, and John is almost certain that she's challenging him to not run away like his instincts are telling him. So he kisses her instead and she meets him halfway, easing her tongue into his mouth as she curls her fingers into his hair. She tastes of oranges, and funnily enough, of rain, that makes him deepen the kiss and pull her flush against him.

Their lips smack as Aeryn pulls away, and then she's breathing in his mouth as she sits on his lap, squeezes his waist with her thighs. Callused fingers seek out the skin beneath her singlet, ghosting along her sides and to her belly. She moans low and deep in his ear when he palms her breasts and rubs his thumbs over her nipples. John licks and sucks the salty skin of her neck, and suddenly making out with Aeryn rolls into him with visceral clarity. Her tongue is really in his mouth, and she absolutely smells this frelling good; and he's so damn hard right now that rubbing his cock against her ass offers only the barest relief.

Time slows down in his mind, and John's touch is deliberate and hesitant, as if he's moving under a deluge of water. He kisses Aeryn like it's the last time, and he wants to savor her taste to the end. She grabs his right hand with her left, threads their fingers together, and slides them deftly underneath her loose pants and underwear. She grips his shoulder with her free hand as he glides one finger, then another, deep into her sex and starts to stroke her slowly. Aeryn's hips sway into him like liquid and she flicks her tongue over his bottom lip, her own fingers teasing her center in rhythm with the movement of his.

John is acutely aware of the sounds of outdoors, the lapping of the pool against his ankles and the rapid breathing of Aeryn as she gasps her release in his mouth. She flows back to herself in pieces, and he steals another kiss because it feels like they've crossed a line they should have avoided. Aeryn's hand brushes across his erection as she rises from his lap, intentional or otherwise he isn't sure. But he follows her back into the mansion, thinking about temptation and the smell of chlorine on her skin.

**


	2. B/Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He forgets that he's on borrowed time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still beta-free, so I shoulder all the blame for this.

_12:09 a.m._

He follows Aeryn up to her room, leaving wet footprints in their wake as they walk silently through the kitchen and up the stairs. There should be small-talk of some kind, or nervous laughter. Under different circumstances, John would take her hand in his and play with her fingers; back her up against the wall and kiss her neck, whisper corny sweet-nothings that makes her laugh and call him _Crichton_ in a way that doesn't pare him down to the bone.

He says nothing, they don't touch.

Aeryn keeps a slow and steady gait down the hall to her room but John keeps watch, half-expecting D'Argo or Chiana to poke their heads out of their rooms and catch them red-handed. John Crichton sneaking some nookie with his girl... who isn't his girl, and fuck, this is confusing.

John shuts the bedroom door, leans his weight into it and watches Aeryn in all her barely contained energy. She's pacing, and he wonders if she realizes it; wonders what she's thinking about. Does she regret what happened, is she going to pull away again?

"Aeryn."

She meets his gaze full-on, and it's now or nothing. John pushes away from the door, takes his time closing the distance between them. Aeryn doesn't meet him halfway this time but the challenge in her eyes is still there.

"John. Why are you here?"

It's really on the tip of his tongue to be a smart-ass, but he didn't come here to fight. Aeryn's never been one to mince words... there's a deliberateness to her question, a purpose that he can't charm and talk his way around answering.

He sighs, rubs the back of his neck. "I just wanna spend some time, Aeryn. It's been a long few days, haven't seen you around much."

"And when that time is up," she asks quietly.

"Short term, I don't know. There's... a lot going on here, babe." John lets the silence settle over them for a minute before continuing. "Long term, we can talk about that later. I just need to take things one day at a time right now."

Aeryn seems to process his words like she does everything else lately -- silently, intense, focused. She works it out in her head, says "I'm here" in that quiet, all-knowing tone again, and John expels a breath of relief.

His thumbs hook into the waistband of her pants and he pulls her closer until their hips bump. He feels her forehead against his, warm breath on his face, and he knows this is the moment he's been searching for since they arrived on Earth.

She kisses the corner of his mouth, slides her lips fully onto his and John can't help but hold on tighter. This is his reprieve.

_1:46 a.m._

He's working his way down Aeryn's body and back up again, each touch and kiss coming back to him like sense memory. What she likes, what makes her lapse into complete Sebacean gibberish and beat her fist against his back. John savors the feel of his hands wrapped around her thighs, licking and sucking until her legs squeeze and shudder around his head.

He's got plenty of time left and he's just getting started.

_2:27 a.m._

Her hips rock back easily, deliberately, into his as she balances her hands on his thighs and pushes her weight into each lazy thrust. His own body is slick with sweat -- hers, his, theirs. John's knees dig into the mattress as he bends forward, slinks one hand to her belly and down to hold her right _there_ \-- and the angle is perfect as he thrusts into her; dragging fast breaths from Aeryn and deep groans from himself.

He nuzzles the side of her neck, inhales the sex on her skin feels the grin in her kiss as she bears down on him. Aeryn plays dirty, but he can hang with the best of them. John tickles the inside of her thighs with his fingers, spreads her legs wider and strokes her despite her own hands clawing at his to pull them away.

"Let go, Aeryn," he murmurs with a light chuckle, and she tips over the edge with a muffled _frell_ in his ear.

_4:02 a.m._

John concentrates on the lines of her back, traces his fingers along the curves of muscle that flare into sexy hips and an ass he's spent a lot of time grabbing onto throughout the night. He is determined to enjoy the moment and not think about the last time he and Aeryn shared the same bed.

"What are you doing?"

His fingers halt mid-word. "Nothin'."

"Tell me."

"Writing you a message," he says finally.

Aeryn rolls over on her side, mouth turned up in humor despite the skeptical gaze. "But I can't know what it says?"

"Time and patience, baby." He kisses the tip of her nose and then her lips, teasing her with his tongue until she allows him entry into her mouth. It's an obvious distraction, one that he expects Aeryn to call him on, but she just stares at him with a slow smile and shoves him playfully on his back.

"Ready for another round, Ms. Sun?"

She answers with her mouth and hands, and John forgets that he's on borrowed time.

_5:29 a.m._

He comes for the last time that night with Aeryn stretched out on top of him, and the tension immediately bleeds back into his shoulders. She kisses him like she wants to crawl inside his body and stay there, and John wraps one arm around her waist, threads his fingers through her hair. He doesn't say I love you, but he thinks it -- traces it on the small of her back with his other secrets.

"You should go," she finally whispers against his mouth.

John nods and slips from the bed, begins dressing quietly, movements clumsy from sex and a lack of sleep. He kneels in front of Aeryn, brushes her hair back from her face and gives her a brief kiss. As he stands, she catches his hand and swirls her thumb in his palm, leaving him her own message.

"I'll be here," she says and he takes his cue to leave.

**


	3. No Chaser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was fed up with the take backs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final part of the TF AU, still beta-free.

If the cockpit had a distinctive smell, it would have been all over her. Instead, she wore the impressions of flight like worn leather molded to every curve of her body, in every step as she walked in his direction.

Frell that, she swaggered.

Aeryn had never lacked confidence, but her arrogance was so unpretentious, so _normal_ for her, that John had never given it a second thought once he'd gotten used to it.

It was expected, much like the giddiness she couldn't shield from her eyes after climbing from her prowler, coming down from an adrenaline high.

He'd had much time to study Aeryn over the years, and right now the bright-eyed gaze was missing, but the swagger remained. Anger rested on her stiff shoulders, and he knew whatever had her wound up, flying had only taken the edge off.

John sighed, because he knew why she was pissed off. And it was his fault, for talking himself in circles since they'd been on Earth. He'd done a spectacular job of sniffing the laka with an Aeryn chaser; tight and wet, clenching around him, branding him hers. Now she was fed up with the take-backs, and he couldn't blame her.

A few days ago she'd told him to stay the frell away from her, and he'd tried to do just that; for his own sake as well as hers. But even with Caroline hanging around, doing her damnedest to distract him, it always came back to Aeryn. It always would, and if he didn't already have a plan in mind to breach this impasse between them, he'd have toasted that thought with another bulb of laka.

Aeryn stopped in front of him with her hands on her hips, and he felt the full weight of her glare. "Crichton, what do you want?"

This was his chance, the only opening he'd probably get from her. "Come with me." A question, a plea.

She blinked, seemed to consider the request. "Why?"

"'Cause I'm asking you to."

Aeryn always kept him waiting; bit on her lower lip to fill the silence. "Where--"

"Can you just, come with me without asking questions?" The words lodged in his throat but he pushed them through. "Trust me."

"Alright then, let's go."

*

Four years, where the only familiar comfort he'd had was his hand on his joystick or on his cock, and he'd almost forgotten what it was like to grip something that wasn't methodically alien and strangely shaped. John ran his fingers along the steering wheel, expertly switched gears and accelerated. Not as fast as his ship, but a powerful engine and a beautiful girl by his side balanced it all out.

Aeryn ignored him for the first half-hour and watched the scenery pass by. He hummed along to whatever came on the radio, although he'd never heard most of what was played.

When she finally spoke it nearly scared the crap out of him.

"Tell me now where we're going," she demanded, staring at him.

"Jesus," he muttered. He spared a quick glance to Aeryn and back to the road. "Nowhere in particular."

She dismissed his vague answer with a shrug. "Hm. Do the others know that we're gone?"

"Livvy does. My dad probably, but he won't say anything."

"How long is it for this time, John? How long before you revert back to acting like a drannit bent on punishing me?"

She knew his game, just chose not to defend herself against his barbs and maneuvers.

The answer felt like payback and the word took shape in his mouth, but he stifled the urge. "Aeryn... baby, I'm trying here. I brought you on this field trip because I wanted to be with you."

And what he didn't say -- _I love you; I can't be with you, Earth will ask too many questions; Scorpius will know; damn it you lied to me; I need time but I also need you_ \-- stayed with him for the rest of the night.

*

Aeryn's hand was on his ass, and it was the best thing that'd happened to him all day.

They'd both started out sitting side-by-side on the trunk of the car. His destination to nowhere had ended them parked on a ridge overlooking hundreds of houses below. Electricity twinkled in the dark and stars lit up the sky. At times John was a hopeless romantic, but he was not going to explain to her the vagaries of make-out locations.

He'd expected a comment about the blanket he'd taken from the backseat, but she'd just quirked her mouth and occupied the space he'd patted beside him on the trunk. She hadn't objected when he'd wrapped the blanket around them and snuggled closer.

He'd smiled, much like he was doing now, right up until she curled her tongue around his and pulled him further between her thighs.

John kissed her back, met her aggression with his own as he dug his fingers into her hips, and inhaled the scent of the earth and leather and arousal between them. She cupped him in his jeans, quick strokes of her thumb that made him grind and moan against her. He retaliated by sliding his hands under her vest and shirt, slowly caressed her nipples until she bumped his hip with her knee in frustration.

"Stop teasing." A fierce whisper in his ear, then warm breath and soft lips on his neck and back to his mouth.

He chuckled, but resumed the slow torture. He cupped her breasts, tested their heaviness in his palms. Flicked his thumbs back and forth across her nipples, matched the rhythm of his hips sliding against hers. Aeryn growled 'more' into his mouth, and he worked on instinct and a full memory of what she liked. She sucked his tongue, squeezed his ass, and groaned in his mouth; and he wished to god he'd been inside her when she came.

"Frell." He said it for the both of them, and kissed her slow and deep this time. It wasn't how he'd pictured spending time with her on Earth; burning clothes like teenagers, but he'd take it. No laka this time, just Aeryn.

**


End file.
